The four German passengers from the cruise ship affected by a hantavirus outbreak have been transferred back to Germany where they have arrived at Frankfurt University Hospital, a spokesman confirmed on Monday morning.
There, the passengers are to undergo further examination and observation before being moved to their respective home states for quarantine. Local health authorities will decide on the measures to be taken.
A plane from the Canary Island of Tenerife landed at Eindhoven Airport in the Netherlands on Sunday, carrying 26 passengers and crew members from the Hondius.
Several ambulances left the military section of Eindhoven Airport late in the evening, headed for Germany. Emergency crews from the fire services in Essen and Frankfurt were called in for the transport, while another ambulance came from Dortmund.
Alongside the four Germans and Dutch nationals, Belgian and Greek nationals were also on board the Eindhoven flight. All were asymptomatic before departure, according to the Spanish Health Ministry.
Specialists were waiting at Eindhoven Airport to medically examine the evacuees. Dutch passengers were directly taken home, where they must spend six weeks in home quarantine.
One of the German passengers is due to be taken to Berlin’s Charité hospital. According to Berlin’s health authorities, the person has so far shown no symptoms.
A German contact person from the Hondius who has no symptoms is to go into home quarantine in the south-western state of Baden-Württemberg, the state’s Social Affairs and Health Ministry said on Sunday evening.
The Hondius entered the port of Granadilla on Tenerife earlier on Sunday after a deadly hantavirus outbreak on board prompted the evacuation of passengers and crew under strict safety precautions.
The Hondius is reported to have most recently carried a total of 140 to 150 passengers, crew members and accompanying experts from 23 countries.
According to the WHO, there have been six confirmed cases and two suspected cases, with three people dying in the outbreak – an elderly Dutch couple and a German woman.
The WHO suspects that the chain of infection originated with the Dutch couple, who may have been infected in Argentina before boarding the ship.